Nicky Lovell (left) fled the scene after hitting the bike in a car belonging to Louise Cox (right). Photograph: SWNS

A disqualified driver has admitted killing a "perfect couple" by knocking them off their tandem bicycle as they enjoyed a Sunday afternoon ride.

Nicky Lovell pleaded guilty to causing the deaths of husband and wife Ross and Clare Simons by dangerous driving.

Lovell, 38, of Oldland Common, South Gloucestershire, also admitted driving while disqualified. The owner of the car, Louise Cox, 35, pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice. Cox, also from Oldland Common, provided the police with false details when they investigated the collision.

Ross and Clare Simons, 34 and 30, were killed in the incident at Hanham, in Bristol, when their tandem was hit by a Citroën Picasso.

Scant details of the incident were given during the brief hearing at Bristol crown court, but at the time, Avon and Somerset police said that shortly before 4pm on 27 January an officer had attempted to pull over a Citroën Picasso that was travelling in a largely residential area at speed.

Police followed the car but lost sight of it. Soon afterwards, the Citroën hit another vehicle and then collided with the tandem. Lovell initially fled the scene but handed himself in to police hours later.

The couple had been together for several years and had been married for about 18 months. After their deaths, it emerged they had just been given the go-ahead to begin IVF treatment. They had celebrated the news over a meal the evening before the tragedy.

Friends described them as the "perfect couple" and "two peas in a pod", and the spot where the tandem was hit was turned into a shrine to them.

Among the floral tributes was one card that read: "Ross and Clare, you were an amazing couple and fantastic people. You will be missed so, so much by all. RIP, gone but never forgotten. In our hearts for ever."

The Rev Peter Cook, of Hanham Baptist church, said at the time that the community was shocked and struggling to understand what had happened. "It has ripped the community to its heart," he said. "You don't expect it happening on a Sunday afternoon when you are out for a cycle. I think it was totally out of the ordinary, and that's why people are so shocked by it.

Lovell and Cox will be sentenced on 22 May at Bristol crown court. Lovell was remanded in custody while Cox was given bail.

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